


Of Bludgers and Books

by happypugfics



Series: Skimmons Hogwarts AU [4]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), skimmons Hogwarts
Genre: F/F, Skimmons Hogwarts AU, skimmons - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-25
Updated: 2018-06-25
Packaged: 2019-05-28 13:01:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,868
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15049610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/happypugfics/pseuds/happypugfics
Summary: The famous TriWizard Tournament and the revenge of the notorious DeathEater Calvin Johnson are no doubt two of the most prominent series of events in the lives of Skye Johnson and Jemma Simmons, but they are not the beginning.  Five years of experiences at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardy fall before Skye and Jemma's trying 6th and 7th years.  From first meeting on the train, to being sorted in their houses, to numerous quidditch matches, to the first confessions of feelings, to O.W.L.s, it's all here.  Welcome to Hogwarts.(A series of Skimmon Hogwarts AU oneshots, in no particular order, from their 1st-5th years at Hogwarts. Enjoy the journey.)Prequel to Slytherin to My Heart & Death Eater's Daughter.





	Of Bludgers and Books

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome lovelies.  
> Many of you have asked about years from before the TriWizard Tournament. Well, I'm here to tell you, your questions and wishes have been answered!  
> I hope that you enjoy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello Lovelies.  
> I know some of you have been asking for a long time about the early years of our Hogwarts AU and I'm happy to finally tell you, your questions are going to be answered! Skimmonsfiction and I hope you enjoy!

Jemma practically plopped down into a seat in the only empty compartment on the train, her bag still in the seat next to her since she was far too small to reach any of the racks above her head. Any second now, Jemma was expecting to wake up from this strange dream and find herself back in her room, where she wasn't a witch and she would be getting ready to go to normal school. Instead, she was on a train at an enchanted platform, with no friends or family to accompany her.

About a week and a half ago, a strange woman had appeared on her doorstep, introducing herself as Professor May from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Both she and her parents thought it was ridiculous of course, this stranger informing them that the eleven-year-old was a witch. But, sure enough, the professor had shown them some magic and truly explained. Jemma had made sense of it before her parents. There had been occasions during her childhood that strange things had happened, things she couldn't explain, no matter how smart she was or how much she learned.   
One time, there had been a boy at school who always picked on her, but once when he was on the playground, a few screws mysteriously came loose and he came crashing down with the slide. That wasn't the only instance bad things had happened to people she didn't like. There were others, and sometimes when she was happy too.  
Eventually, after hours of convincing, Jemma's parents agreed to let her try this school. Professor May had taken her and her parents to Diagon Alley, where she'd been amazed by everything she saw.   
Jemma still held her wand tightly in her hand. She hadn't put it down since she'd gotten it earlier that day. It was 10 1/2 inches long, made of beechwood, and had veela hair for a core. None of this meant anything to Jemma, at least not yet, but she remembered it anyway.  
The second of her new things was the red barn owl sitting in a cage next to her bag. He was a large owl, mostly white with orange and red feathers on his wings. Jemma had named him Strigiformes, or Strigi for short. He sat quietly and just watched Jemma read. She was glad, she didn't think she could stand him squawking any more like he had been in the car.

She had gotten many things in Diagon Alley, things she thought were just in books like robes, cauldrons, and textbooks for subjects other than math, science, english, and history. They were things like potion making and defense against the dark arts.   
She was quite interested in learning about them, but first she wanted to know where she was going. A brand new copy of Hogwarts, A History was pulled out of her bag in an instant. Jemma had already been reading it in the car and she was quite amazed, disbelieving almost. If she hadn't seen all the things her wand had done earlier she would have assumed all of this was make believe. But it wasn't, and Jemma couldn't wait to see it all. The only problem was that she was alone. She didn't have many friends before, and she certainly didn't have any here. It may be even harder for her to make friends this time around, her differences were even greater. 

 

_________

 

“I’m going to be late!”

“Yes, well you are the one who wanted to go into the broom shop now aren’t you dear?  It’s not my fault you had to touch every single one and ask the clerk a thousand questions.  You certainly didn’t get your interest in flying from me,” Jiaying sighed, exasperated. Her morning in Diagon Alley with her daughter had been a trying one and although she knew from the day she was born this day was coming, they had both waited till the last moment.

The whole ordeal at Olivander’s had lasted rather longer than she thought it should have.  Other children had come in and found their wands rather right away but Skye had needed to go through…how many had it been?  Seven. She had to go through seven different wands before one finally settled on her. Both Jiaying and the old man were relieved too, although he had a twinkling in his eye that rather worried the older woman.   _ 11 inch dogwood with unicorn hair…very curious indeed. _

“Go on now.  Write lots of letters, Archimedes should know where to go.  Don’t forget I’ll be in Thailand starting next week and it’s an awful long way for such a little owl to fly.  So write me before then!” Jiaying pushed her daughter, in quite the rush, then on towards the large column between platforms nine and ten.  Skye’s cart was very disorderly, like their lives seemed to be, and the small pygmy owl was making an awful racket. 

“I’m going, I’m going!” Skye shrugged her mother’s hands off and went to make a run for the column when she was jerked back again.

“Hold on now, give your mother a kiss!”  Jiaying kissed the girl on her forehead, only to receive a loud groaning noise in response.

“Momma, I’m going to be late!  The train is going to  _ leave without me! _ ”

“Alright, alright!  Go, go, go!!” She ushered her daughter off then and Skye took off at another run for the column and disappeared through it without any trouble.

She passed through to the other side, arriving at platform 9 ¾ as the Hogwarts Express gave a loud final whistle.  She was just barely going to make it.

Skye raced with her trolley down the length of the train until she nearly crashed into a man in uniform.  He gave her a quick scolding for being late, advising that she arrive early in the future, before beginning to take her things to the luggage car, although not before she grabbed the small owl out of his cage and her bag for the train ride.

The train gave one more whistle and its wheels began to squeak to life as they started to move.  The little brunette’s eyes widened and she raced for the steps and hoisted herself on before the train could begin to pick up any more speed.  Her first day seemed to be off to a rather eventful start.

She went through three cars all with shut doors and full seats before she neared the front, finding a half open door and a seat that looked to be empty.  The small bird from under her messy robe squawked and flew right in in a huff, nearly hitting the window on the other side in his excitement and rush to get out from under Skye’s protective arm.

“Archi, come back here!”  Skye opened up the door and went to charge right after her bird before she stopped abruptly and stared at the girl in the corner, her nose in a thick book which Skye did not think looked like a fun read at all.

“U-uhm, excuse me?  Archi seems to like it in here and…everywhere else is taken.  Can I uhm…Can I sit here too?” Skye pointed to the opposite booth, where her bird was now happily hopping about and continuing to make some terrible noise.  He was very adorable, but as Jiaying had quickly learned through the morning, was prone to be very annoying. Skye was starting to learn that too, although she didn’t think she would mind as much as the girl who was still quietly ignoring her, brow all furrowed like it was.

Skye cleared her throat again, “Hey, sorry, Can I sit in here with you?” She asked again, a little louder than she meant to, since she almost startled herself.

Jemma had been so caught up in her book that she hadn't even noticed anyone had come into her compartment. She'd been in the middle of an interesting chapter explaining the ceiling of the Great Hall, and Jemma couldn't wait to see it for herself. The voice near her and the squawking of the owl didn't even register, the rest of the train was so loud Jemma just assumed it was part of the noise the other excited children were producing.

When the stranger spoke up a second time, Jemma's head finally snapped up and her cheeks heated up with a blush when she realized someone had been trying to speak to her. She hadn't even realized. It wasn't the first time she'd gotten so caught up in a book that nothing else mattered, she was chastised for it often. Unfortunately for both of them, Jemma still hadn't realized what the girl had been saying, only that she had been saying something.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?" Jemma thought she would die of embarrassment. It was her first day, she hadn't even actually gotten to school yet, but she was already making a fool of herself, as always. It was no surprise that she had been sitting alone, but the train had probably run out of seats and that's why this girl wanted to sit with her. She wasn't exactly good company, sitting here with her book. People usually got bored of her pretty fast.

Skye looked at the girl rather quizzically before sighing and speaking up again, “I asked if I could sit here.  My owl seems to like this room…and apparently now your owl too,” She nodded towards the girl’s caged bird who Archi was now hopping on top off and pecking down between the bars of the cage and squawking more, saying hello to the new bird.

“He’s really pretty friendly…just a curious little guy.  He comes by it honest, I guess. Shopkeeper seemed glad to get rid of him.  But I guess he makes up for with cuteness what he lacks in…well…everything else.”

Skye took a seat anyway, without waiting for the girl’s answer.  Whether she said yes or no, she was tired of wandering around the train and this was likely the last seat that was empty anyway, although if the girl read the whole time it was going to be a boring trip.

“I’m Skye by the way,” She thrust out her hand for the other girl to shake, a big grin on her face.  Hopefully they could make friends. She didn’t have many of her own already, since her mother lived out in the middle of nowhere with her.  She’d been home schooled up till this point…so she guessed she had to make that no friends. She had no friends, so maybe this girl would be her first one…assuming she kept her nose out of that awful book.

"Simmons... uh, Jemma. Jemma Simmons." Jemma stumbled around her words, nervously shaking the stranger's hand. She usually didn't like people touching her, but if she was going to do her best to make friends she was going to have to loosen up. At her old private school, everyone addressed each other by their last names, but Jemma figured they didn't do that everywhere. She eyed the tiny owl fluttering around Strigi's cage, and she decided it wouldn't do any harm to let her owl out as well. She only stood up to close the compartment door so the owls couldn't get away before she opened up the cage, hesitantly sticking her arm inside for the owl to step onto. She wasn't used to this, and even though the shopkeeper said Strigi was a peaceful, mostly well behaved owl, she still wasn't so sure about the sharp claws and beak.

As soon as he was out of the cage, Strigi hopped off Jemma's arm and onto the seat, where he butted Skye's tiny owl with his head and made some sound that Jemma hoped meant they liked each other. It would be terrible to have her giant owl attack some stranger’s teeny one. Jemma scooted away slightly, more towards the window, just in case.

"That's Strigiformes, or Strigi for short. It's the scientific name for owl in binomial nomenclature." Jemma informed Skye as the two owls huddled together. She was probably a little more proud of the name than she should have been. The two birds seemed to like each other, and it made Jemma relieved to know she wouldn't need to stop a fight between a pair of animals with talons.Finally, she looked back to Skye.

Jemma supposed the word she would use to describe Skye was scruffy. She looked incredibly casual and her long, chocolate colored hair was a bit of a mess, probably from rushing and clearly almost missing the train. Skye was exactly the opposite of Jemma, who had her hair up in a tight ponytail and was wearing a button up shirt and vest, even though she was told they didn't have to be in their robes until they arrived at school. It was just the clothes Jemma had, and it was normal for her.

"In that case I'm Skye Johnson.  And that is Archimedes. Mom named him after some muggle math genius so I guess it's cool that you named yours after some bi-something or other, even if it sounds nerdy.  Archimedes isn't any less nerdy I guess, so that's seriously cool," Skye sat back with a smile and watched the two birds. She too was glad that they were getting along.

"They seem to like each other alright," she pointed out, nodding towards the two birds who were rubbing against each other and chirping now.  "I wonder what they are saying to each other. I wish I knew a spell so I could understand. I wonder if we will learn any. Do you know any spells?  I only know the ones my mom uses around the house. She won't ever let me look at any of her books. She's got hundreds of them all about the house for potions and transfiguration and other stuff too."

So far she hadn't gone back to her book so Skye thought she was keeping up conversation pretty well, even though she was probably rambling.  She couldn't help it. She was nervous after all. This was a big day for them, what with their first day of school and being sorted into their house that would pretty much define the rest of their lives.

The only thing Jemma really understood out of what Skye had said was Archimedes, but she was going to do her best to learn it all. At least Skye thought Jemma's name for her owl was good. All the kids at home probably would have laughed at her.

"Muggles?" She questioned. She'd never heard the word before, and that was saying something, since she read almost all the time. It was probably a word specific to the wizarding world. 

"No, I don't know any spells." Jemma shook her head. Apparently lots of people had magical parents too. Just the idea of knowing a spell was still ridiculous to Jemma, and she would probably still not believe she was actually a witch until she cast a spell herself.

"How could you not know any spells?  Or what muggles ar- oh my gosh, you're a muggle!"  Skye exclaimed, eyebrows high and eyes wide in realization.  She quickly calmed and smiled though, shrugging it off like it was nothing.  
"Well that's OK too. Not everyone knows spells or magic when they first come to Hogwarts.  Some of the smartest witches and wizards have come from muggle families. Oh, a muggle is...a non magical person.  Well, you're not a muggle exactly, just I'm assuming since you don't know about magic at all you must have come from a muggle family.  A non magic family." Skye explained and leaned back against the cushion seats to get comfortable.  
"So you probably don't know much if anything do you? How do you like it so far?!  I'm sure you saw Diagon Alley?! Mom takes me there sometimes to look at brooms. I love to fly.  I want to be on a quidditch team. Quidditch is a really big sport here. Like the biggest ever!! More popular than uhm...than...uh that muggle game where you kick the checkered ball around!  There's so much to see and learn. I mean I've been in magic all my life so I can't imagine how you must feel. Are you excited? Are you nervous? A bit of both?! Do you even know about the houses? Oh my gosh you probably don't even know about the houses!!"

"Uhm..." Jemma had no words. The sheer amount of information and questions Skye had just blasted her with in such a quick voice was a little hard to take in. There were so many things Skye had told her and asked her and Jemma didn't know what to address first. She'd never had someone be so excited to talk to her, it was a new experience. Jemma glanced to the side, almost as if to check for sure that there wasn't someone right next to her that Skye was actually talking to. There were no other 11 year olds, just two owls, one smaller bird tucked under the wing of the larger.

Jemma couldn't even imagine riding on a broomstick, she was still trying to go over what Skye had said in her mind and make sure she actually heard right. Okay, so maybe she hadn't believed witches existed until a week ago, but she definitely hadn't expected them to  _ actually _ ride brooms. She supposed there had to be magical sports, though, as every culture came up with their own games. 

"I... I guess I'm a little nervous." Jemma admitted, clutching her book in her lap. It was still open, and she still wasn't sure if she wanted to continue talking or go back to reading. "Okay, I'm very nervous." Jemma said with a little laugh. A small weight lifted off her chest as she admitted it, and she felt herself relax, both physically and mentally.

"But I also can't wait. It's all so new and exciting! I was just about to get to the Hogwarts houses in Hogwarts, A History, but I don't know what they are just yet." Jemma said, turning her book to face Skye and flipping a few pages to where the chapter on the houses started.

"Wow, you really must be excited to already be that far into a textbook," Skye said a little flatly, though she was in awe herself.  She had a right to be excited and Skye could recognize that. If a textbook came for quidditch she would probably be digging into it too.  
"Well, I can help explain too.  Let's see, first there is Gryffindor!  Its colors are red and gold and its crest is a lion.  Gryffindor is for the brave and courageous people. I don't know any, but I'm sure we will both make friends with some. Then there is Hufflepuff.  Hufflepuff is...well, Hufflepuff is okay. It takes everyone. Mom says that Hufflepuff is the house you get if all of your qualities are strong and equal or the sorting hat just doesn't know where to put you," Skye chuckled then and rolled her eyes, " my mom is from Hufflepuff so I hope that's the house I get.  Their crest is a badger and they are pretty much just yellow. Lots of yellow.”  
“Then there is Ravenclaw!  If you're a nerd that's the house you'll be in.  They're blue colored and have a raven and they're the smartest witches and wizards in the whole school.  Mom said you have to memorize a new riddle every time you want to get into your common room! How crazy is that?!  I'm definitely not smart enough for them, but you probably are, already reading your book and all. Lastly there's..." She hesitated, frowning slightly as she thought about it, "Well lastly there is Slytherin.  As you can probably guess, they have a snake crest and they are green and silver. Slytherin are...ambitious and...well...lots of people say they are bad. Lots of bad magic folk have come from Slytherin. You don't want to be in that house and you certainly don't want to mess with any of them or talk to them."  Skye finished and pointed into Jemma's book.   
"It's all right there.  The sorting hat goes on your head and he decides where you go and that's where you stay."

For some reason, Jemma blushed when Skye called her a nerd. She'd heard the term so many times before when people talked about her, but it sounded less insulting and more flattering coming from Skye. Jemma gratefully listened to everything Skye was telling her. Sure, her book could tell her what animal and color and trait each house stood for, but only a real person could tell her what all the other students thought about them. She made a mental note not to hang around with anyone in green, she'd dealt with enough mean kids in her short time already.   
"A hat actually decides?" Jemma questioned skeptically. She flipped a page and was bombarded with a moving picture of it on a student's head, barking out the name of some house or another. It was so incredibly interesting to think that there was a talking hat that could read a person's mind, but she still hadn't even grasped the idea of the moving pictures on the pages.  
"I don't think I'll ever get used to this." Jemma laughed, tapping the page with one finger. Skye didn't seem to know a lot about normal people, since she didn't even know what football was, so she probably didn't even realize this was unusual. "Our pictures- muggle pictures- they don't move like this." Jemma informed her.   
"I guess I hope I get Ravenclaw. Solving a bunch of riddles sounds fun." Jemma added, looking at the Ravenclaw crest on another page. She skimmed over the pages a little further and read about how the houses shared living spaces. Maybe she would get lucky and she and Skye would be in the same house. It seemed as though the girl would be her first friend, and Jemma wanted her to be. 

"That seems so boring and like a waste.  All the pictures here move. Even pictures you take of yourself.  Mom has lots of me and us together all around the house and they all move.  It's like...the actually memory is there instead of just a snapshot, you know?  As for Ravenclaw, good luck. I'll never get in. Mom had to homeschool me because she traveled a lot for work and I somehow ended up late to class even when she was teaching," Skye laughed at herself and shook her head in an exaggerated fashion, "and I couldn't answer riddles all day. I'd never get into the room!! Hufflepuff seems the best option for me anyway.  I don't think I'm very brave. Well maybe, because I like to fly really high but I'm not sure that counts. Besides, Mom said Hufflepuff are right next to the kitchen...and I do really like sweets."   
Skye winked at Jemma then with a grin, "But yeah, it can be a lot to get used too.  I guess...you know, if you're lucky...you won't ever get used to it. I've grown up with it all my life but there's still a lot to learn and stuff, and you just kinda got tossed in didn't you?  I think it would be nice to be surprised over and over again every day...I'm already used to the regular everyday things so it doesn't hold quite the same...uhm...fascination." She was grinning even wider, like she had just used a big SAT word or something, even though she had no idea what an SAT even was. It was a large and fancy word for an eleven year old and Skye hoped to prove to Jemma that if she wasn't book smart, she was smart in other ways too.  
"I think you're going to like magic, Jemma.  You can read and learn a lot from books, but don't forget you can learn a lot by watching around too.  There are other, less boring ways to learn stuff," Skye reached into her robe pocket then and pulled out her wand.  It was long in her small young hand, but she knew it would grow to fit. She hadn't used it yet, but she felt a compelling need to impress the girl across from her so she gave it a little wave and said, " _Flumine bulla_."  From the tip of her wand a short stream of bubbles shot out, which Archi promptly began to chase about the little cabin area to try and pop.  
"Mom would use that one when I was younger and we would chase them around the yard."

Jemma was amazed by the magic and the fact that bubbles had somehow been spawned by a small stick of wood, but she still subconsciously clutched her book a little tighter. Had Skye just called her way boring? She couldn't tell. Jemma didn't think books were boring. Even though Skye was probably right about seeing things outside of a book, Jemma was still sensitive. If she had one weakness, it was her fear that people wouldn't like her because of her bookish habits.  
"Maybe," Jemma sighed, reaching out and popping one of the last few bubbles before Archi got to it. "But I have a bad feeling I'll just want to go home." Jemma said, glancing out the window at the moving scenery. She was sent away to private school for much of her life, but somehow this felt different. It didn't feel like she was just going to a new school, it felt like she was going to a new world, and she supposed in a way that she was.   
"So, tell me about this quidditch game of yours." Jemma smiled, trying to brighten the mood again. She wouldn't let her fears of homesickness spoil the fact that she was a witch, talking to another witch, on a magical train headed toward a magic school. This was incredible, and Jemma wanted to see and learn it all.

“Oh my gosh, Quidditch is amazing!” Skye’s whole face lit up suddenly and she sat on the edge of her seat, “it is the single greatest wizarding game ever!  I mean, there’s wizards chess but that’s hardly the same. There are other sports but Quidditch is definitely the best and most watched of all of them!” her hands were everywhere while she talked and she only wished she had something to show Jemma so that she could get the full effect.

“There are seven players for each team.  Quidditch is between two teams. There’s a keeper, a seeker, two beaters, and three chasers.  There are three hoops at each end of the pitch…which is the playing field. And there are four different balls used in a game too.  There’s the quaffle ball, two bludger balls, and the snitch. The three chasers try to get the quaffle into the opposite team’s hoops to score points.  Oh uhm…each hoop is ten points! So the person with the most points wins the game. The keeper of each team has to guard the hoops and block the other team from scoring.  The beaters use beater bats to knock the bludgers around or into other players to keep them busy and to keep them from scoring points. I want to be a beater really bad!”

Skye was positively radiating excitement.  She couldn’t wait to see the Hogwarts Quidditch pitch.  Her father had once taken her to a Quidditch game and she had fallen in love with the sport.  It was perhaps the only good thing her dad had ever done for her.

“And the seeker…the seeker has to catch the snitch.  It’s a tiny, wicked fast ball and it is worth one hundred and fifty points!  If they catch the snitch, the game is over! Games can last a long time if the snitch isn’t caught.  I read somewhere one time that a game lasted for three whole months once!! I want to be a professional Quidditch beater!  First years don’t often make the house teams but we are allowed to try out anyway so I’m going to sign up the second the season starts!  Oh and I forgot the best part! They have to fly around on broomsticks! If they fall off they’re out! You can go as high or as fast as you want, you just can’t leave the pitch!  It’s so utterly incredible! If you like any muggle sports then you’ll totally like Quidditch because it’s soooo much better!”

The girl was practically gasping by the end, a giant cheesy and excited smile on her face as she looked wide eyed at Jemma.  She had probably spoken quite a little too fast for the muggle born girl to understand, but Skye knew that it would all make sense once she saw an actual match.

“And they play in all kinds of weather too.  Bulgaria won the World Cup last year in a blizzard!  They played for three straight days! It was all over the Daily Prophet.  550 to 400!!”

"That- actually sounds interesting." Jemma said, the surprise in her voice directed towards herself. She didn't like any sports, but quidditch sounded like a little bit of a complicated game, having four balls. It probably took a lot of multi focussing to watch, and Jemma was looking forward to it.  
"I'm not very good at sports, but it's cool that you are. I much prefer to watch." Jemma told her. Physical Education had been her least favorite class before, and for a brief moment Jemma wondered if they had it here. Probably not. "I think it's brave to fly on a broom, I could never do that. I'm afraid of heights." Jemma informed her.

“Well I hate to burst your bubble, but you’re going to have to try,” Skye said, leaning back and taking a look out the window before she turned her attention back to the girl across from her.

“Mom said they have a flying class.  It’s mandatory for all first years to learn how to ride a broom.  I’m really excited, but hey, I’ve been on a broom since I was five years old.  My dad got me my very first one. Mom was soooo mad!” Skye laughed and shrugged, seeing now that Jemma looked a little scared at the daunting task to come.

“But I mean hey, if we end up in the same class, I can stand with you and help if you want?  You could probably learn techniques in a book, but the real tips are gonna come from the people who have a good knack for it, and that’s gonna be me.”

Skye would have said more about it, but the squeak of wheels and the call of an elderly woman down the hall stopped her.

“Candy from the trolley?!  Candy from the trolley?!”

“Oh my gosh, you’ve never had wizard candy have you?” Skye was excited again, a huge grin on her face, reaching into her pocket and pulling a small handful of silver and gold coins.

“Well, you’re in for a treat.  Let’s get some,” Skye shot up and opened up the door as the woman walked by.

“Candy from the trolley dears?”

“Yeah, absolutely!  We will take…two chocolate frogs, one bag of Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans, aaaand…two Pumpkin Pasties, please!  Oh and maybe a strand or two of Licourice Wands! Thank you!” Skye handed over the money as the woman handed over the sweets and headed on down the hall.

Skye barely just managed to shut the door, holding all the treats in one arm while she slide the door shut with the other.  She sat back down and set the treats out in her lap, taking up a Pumpkin Pastie.

“Here!  Try one of these!  They’re great!”

"Thanks," Jemma said graciously, both about the edible treat and the possible help with flying. She was certain it would not be her favorite class, she would much prefer studying a book than trying to fly.   
Jemma reached out for the food Skye was offering her and gratefully accepted it. Her parents hadn't exchanged a lot of their money for the wizard's form of currency yet, so she was going to have to wait a few weeks before she had any. It was nice that Skye bought her a snack like this, Jemma definitely hadn't expected it.   
"Skye, this is just a pastry." Jemma laughed as she took a bite. She had to admit that it was one of the best things she'd ever tasted, but she still wouldn't describe it as magical. "Muggles have stuff like this too. This is basically just a cornish pastry with pumpkin filling." She laughed. Jemma guessed Skye knew just as little about her world as Jemma did Skye's, and it was quite amusing to her.

"I dont doubt it..." Skye grinned and took a bite of her own, consuming the whole thing in one go with a big grin and swallowed before she finished, "but do they taste this good?" She looked beside her then and grabbed up  a chocolate frog box.  
"Ah, I bet you don't have any of these in your muggle world!" Skye pulled open the box and showed her the chocolate frog on the inside.  Suddenly, it sprang to life and moved to jump from the box. Skye's free hand snatched it from the air and it grew still again, enchantment broken.  
"Here, you can have this one unless you think you can catch your own?  Oh there's collector cards in every box too. Here, you can have it too," she handed Jemma the box and the frog.

Jemma let out a small squeak of surprise when the chocolate frog suddenly sprang to life and laughed at the ridiculousness of it all when it stilled in Skye's hand. It was pointless, really, making the candy jump, but she guessed it was amusing enough. Jemma took the chocolate frog the enchantment had worn off of, claiming that she wouldn't be able to catch one herself.   
She popped the smaller candy into her mouth and looked at the card while she chewed, moving it side to side at different angles and watching as the picture of a light brown haired girl moved back and forth.  
"Hermione Granger: For aiding Harry Potter and Ron Weasley in their attempt to destroy the Horcruxes and the subsequent defeat of Voldemort. Also, for eradicating pro-pureblood laws at the Ministry of Magic and campaigning for the rights of non-human beings such as house-elves. Usually given the title of 'brightest witch of her age.'" Jemma read. She liked the sound of this witch, but she still wasn't sure what a lot of what she read actually meant. She was sure they were great accomplishments though, whatever they were.  
"These are interesting. We definitely don't have moving candy where I'm from." Jemma grinned, watching as Skye caught the second frog for herself.

"Woah!  You got Hermione on your first card, no way!" Skye left her seat and moved over to sit next to Jemma and leaned over to get a look at it. 

"That's wicked.  She was a Gryffindor.  She's a really really popular witch.  I think she still works in the Ministry of Magic.  And she was wicked smart too," Skye got up and moved back to her seat.  
Archi was still snuggling by Jemma's owl and it made Skye smile.  The two really seemed to get on and she was glad. "All the cards have really famous witches and wizards on them.  I think it would be cool to be on my own one day, like if I was a famous Quidditch player or something. I have about three of Ginny Weasley.  She is Ron Weasley's sister and she is married to Harry Potter! She's a chaser for the Holyhead Harpies. They're my favorite team but she's so hard to find.  I want to get one signed one day."

"So they're like American Baseball cards, but for witches and wizards." Jemma chuckled, though she wasn't sure Skye would even know what those were. She turned the card over in her hands a few more times before slipping it into the pocket of her vest for safekeeping. Once she got to school she'd make sure to look up this Hermione Granger in the library.   
"That's great that you want to be a professional athlete. Before, I wanted to be a scientist. But I'm not so sure now, I think I have to at least explore this magic thing." Skye was sitting next to her now and Jemma had to peek around her to get a good look at their birds, and sure enough, they were still getting along perfectly. Jemma wondered if maybe the birds had a premonition about these things, and it was Archi that had decided that both she and Skye and he and Strigi needed to be friends. It wouldn't surprise her, with all the new things she'd learned so far.  
"Oh, science is a muggle subject. It's about all the truths of the world and how everything works. It's quite fascinating really. I suppose a lot of it doesn't really seem solid anymore though, since magic is so unexplainable." Jemma knew she was babbling a bit, and she wasn't sure Skye even understood her explanation, but she had tried.

“It sounds interesting.  I’m not sure we have anything like that.  Maybe potions…but I doubt it’s the same thing.  You’ll have to decide if any of the subjects here are like those.  Muggle things don’t work here though, mom said, so I’m not sure how much science you can do.  I suppose we figure out truths about the world a different way. If you like learning, there’s lots of it to do,” Skye smiled, absentmindedly looking over now and reaching out to pat her bird.

“Archi is so calm now.  I’m really glad. He was really awful on the cart ride, wailing about.  Wouldn’t you know it, he was only seven galleons instead of fifteen? The shopkeeper seemed really glad to be rid of him…probably because he is so loud and so small,” She chuckled.

“I really like your bird though.  He’s quite handsome. It’s a pretty red color.  Oh yeah, so how did you like Diagon Alley?! Since it was your first time going, I imagine it was a lot to take in, you know?  Do you have a favorite shop yet?” Skye questioned while taking up one of the licorice wands and taking a bite. She handed the other to Jemma to try, figuring they probably had candy like this in the muggle world too.  They seemed to have some similar things, but so many other things were different, Skye was probably just as curious about them as Jemma was with her new world too.

"Thank you, I got him because the shopkeeper said he was calm and well mannered." Jemma told Skye, watching the two birds nuzzle each other affectionately as Skye pet them. "I suppose opposites attract." She chuckled, taking a bite out of her candy. It was actually kind of strange, this was the most sugar she'd had at one time in her life. Overprotective didn't even begin to describe her parents. 

"One of the professors, May, I believe, brought my family to Diagon Alley. It was quite impressive, but I think my favorite place has to be Flourish and Blotts, my mum let me get a few other books besides the required textbooks for school. They all look quite interesting so far." Jemma explained as Skye continued giving attention to the birds. It was true, Jemma had a few other informative books in her bag other than Hogwarts, A History.

“I don’t really like reading, unless it’s about Quidditch of course,” Skye shrugged her shoulders, “Mom did have to drag me out of Broomstix though.  It’s my favorite store! Full of brooms to ride...er, well, to look at anyway. The Firebolt is the fastest one out right now, but I happen to know that they’re coming out with a new one soon.  The  _ Firebolt Supreme _ !  I can’t wait!  I’m so excited!  There’s also a rumor of a couple competitors like the Starsweeper XXI, but it’s American so I doubt it will be as good.  Oh and the Thunderbolt VII, but one through six weren’t that great so I doubt they’ll be any good either!”

The remainder of the train ride to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry went much the same, with Skye going on and on about magic and trying to explain it to her car-mate.  It was undoubtedly a lot to take in, especially for someone new to magic like Jemma, but even Skye was eager to change into her robes and start her first year of official wizarding school. 


End file.
